


I Have to Tell Someone

by elsiecarson



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: F/M, Female Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Frustration, House Party, Hunting, Love, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:14:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 14,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29705271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elsiecarson/pseuds/elsiecarson
Summary: Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes are in a relationship, but because of their positions at Downton they are in limbo. Mrs Hughes has to tell someone and Mr Carson tries to figure out how to advance their relationship and keep their jobs.
Relationships: Charles Carson/Elsie Hughes
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. Unexpected News

Mrs Hughes comes down the stairs hurriedly. Her keys jingle against her leg as she walks. She’s already had a bad start to her morning and it doesn’t look as if it’s about to get any easier. She’s had an argument with Mrs Patmore and a disagreement in roles with Miss O’Brien. Now she’s just been informed, by Her Ladyship, that His Lordship wants to have a shooting party this weekend. I’m not looking forward to telling Mrs Patmore, Mrs Hughes thinks, and it only Monday! This week can only get worse! She pops her head into the kitchen warily.

“Yes, Mrs Hughes?” Daisy says politely. “Can I help you? Mrs Patmore is out having a cigarette.”

“Can you tell her that I just talked to Her Ladyship and there’s to be a shooting party this weekend? I’d like to speak to her about the details.” Mrs Hughes already sounds tired.

“Of course, Mrs Hughes. Mrs Patmore isn’t going to like that very much.” Daisy sounds nervous.

“To be honest, Daisy, I’m not very happy either, but that’s what His Lordship wants, and that’s what will happen. Apologize to Mrs Patmore and tell her I’ll be in my sitting room when she’s ready to discuss details.” Mrs Hughes says heavily.

“Yes Mrs Hughes.” Daisy says quietly. She continues to prep the meal Mrs Patmore decided on for luncheon.

Mrs Hughes sighs heavily as she climbs the short flight of stairs to her sitting room. She unlocks the door and heads into the room. She sits on her sofa and puts her head in her hands. Her week has just gotten four times as hard as it was when she woke up this morning. She has to get the guest list from His Lordship so she can organize the rooms and the dinner table seating arrangement. She already feels tired and she hasn’t even started all her work. She hears a knock at her door. She hopes it’s Mrs Pattmore so she can go talk to His Lordship. “Come in.” Mrs Hughes calls.

Mrs Patmore enters the room. “I got your message from Daisy, Mrs Hughes. Does His Lordship really want to do this? Do we know who’s coming?”

“It sounds like His Lordship is pretty adamant about having a shooting weekend. I haven’t gotten the guest list from His Lordship yet. I’ll let you know when I do get that list. Do you have any ideas about food for the weekend?” Mrs Hughes asks tiredly.

“I’ll have a better sense of what I can make when I see the guest list, but I do have some nice game I can use for lunch the first day. When the game comes in from the first day of shooting I can use the game for dinner and lunch the next day. Are you alright Mrs Hughes? You seem out of sorts today.” Mrs Patmore tells Mrs Hughes.

“I’m just tired, Mrs Patmore. I’ll be alright. Thank you for your input. I’ll go get the guest list from His Lordship and I’ll copy one for you.” Mrs Hughes tells Mrs Pattmore.

“Don’t work too hard, Mrs Hughes. I’ll see you later.” Mrs Patmore says gently before she leaves the room. Being of a similar age they try to look out for each other.


	2. His Lordship's Guest List

Mrs Hughes sighs after Mrs Patmore leaves the room. She knows she has to get moving. She straightens her skirt when she stands up. She locks the door when she exits her sitting room. She picks up her skirts slightly as she moves up the stairs to the main floor of the house. She bumps into Mr. Carson in the front hall. “Is His Lordship in his library, Mr. Carson?”

“Yes, Mrs Hughes, he is in the library. Did I hear Her Ladyship say that we’re hosting a shooting party this weekend?” Mr Carson asks looking down at the diminutive housekeeper.

“Yes, unfortunately we now have a great deal more to do this week. I’m going to see His Lordship and get the guest list from him. I hope we don’t have too many guests.” Mrs Hughes says sadly.

“I was hoping to have a nice, quiet weekend and get to spend some time with you.” Mr Carson sighs heavily. “It’s clear that’s not going to happen now.”

“No, I suppose it won’t happen now, but we’ll make time for us this week, I promise. Don’t worry about it. We don’t really get a choice in this anyway. I’ll make time for you, even if it’s early in the morning or late at night.” Mrs Hughes says firmly.

Mr Carson leans over and kisses Mrs Hughes’ cheek. “Thank you for reassuring me, Elsie.” Mr Carson whispers into Elsie’s ear.

“You’re welcome, Charles.” Elsie squeezes Charles’ hand and smiles. “I’ve got to go talk to His Lordship. I’ll see you at lunch.” Charles and Elsie go their separate ways and Elsie heads in the direction of the library. She knocks on the door loud enough that His Lordship can hear her.

“Come in.” Lord Grantham calls loudly so whoever’s outside the door can hear him.

“Good morning, Your Lordship. Pardon me for interrupting.” Mrs Hughes says as she enters the room.

“It’s alright, Mrs Hughes. What can I do for you? Please sit down.” Lord Grantham says cordially.

“Thank you, milord. I wished to find out who the guests will be for this weekend. We need to organize rooms and meals before we receive the guests.” Mrs Hughes requests of her employer. She sits on the edge of one of the settees in the room.

“Of course, Mrs Hughes. I have the list right here. There aren’t too many people coming since it was such short notice.” Lord Grantham passes Mrs Hughes the list when he finishes writing it.

“Thank you, my lord.” Mrs Hughes breathes a sigh of relief when she sees how short the list is. “I’ll make sure that everyone gets this.”

“Thank you, Mrs Hughes. Your dedication to this family is irreplaceable.” Lord Grantham says sweetly.


	3. What Did You Learn?

Mrs Hughes stands up with the paper in her hands and walks out of the library. She closes the door and leans against it.

“So, what’s the verdict Mrs Hughes?” Mr Carson asks coming up to Elsie as she leans against the door.

“It’s not as bad as it seemed when I first heard that we were to host a shooting party. There’s only seven guests coming this weekend.” Elsie shows Charles the guest list for the upcoming weekend.

“That’s manageable, then. And all these guests have been in the house before, which makes this all much easier.” Charles breathes a deep sigh of relief.

“Yes, it’s very manageable. I’ll get this down to Mrs Patmore so she can begin managing to create a menu.” Elsie says putting her hand gently on Charles’ arm.

“You’re so dedicated, Elsie. Don’t be too harsh with Mrs Patmore. She’s just trying to do her job the same as you.” Charles says gently.

“I’m not being overly harsh. We just clash. We’re too similar. We’ll be fine.” Mrs Hughes says calmly.

“That’s very good of you, Elsie. Don’t work too hard.” Charles reminds Elsie.

“I’d better get this down to Mrs Patmore. She wasn’t very happy when she heard about the plans for this weekend.” Elsie says tiredly.

Elsie walks towards the servant’s entrance to the main floor. Charles watches her go. He has a silly smile on his face.


	4. How Did the Blessed Lady Mary Find Out?

“You like her, Carson, don’t you?” Lady Mary asks as she sneaks up on the butler. “You can tell me. I won’t tell anyone.”

Charles sighs. He can’t keep secrets from Lady Mary. “Yes, I like her very much. We get along so well. We look after each other.”

“Does she know how you feel?” Lady Mary asks Carson who’s a father figure to her.

“Yes, she does know how I feel. We talked a while ago.” Carson admits.

“Does she reciprocate your feelings?” Lady Mary wants more information from Carson.

“I wasn’t sure at first when we were talking. She blushed when I told her how I feel. She does reciprocate my feelings. It feels wonderful.” Carson admits to his favourite of the Crawley girls.

“Carson, you are sly! I’m glad you’re happy though. I’ll see you at lunch.” Lady Mary says cheekily.

Charles breathes a sigh of relief when Lady Mary walks away. He quickly heads down to the servants’ area and immediately looks for Elsie. He catches her going down the stairs towards the servants’ dining room. “Elsie, I need to talk to you.”

“Charles! What on earth is going on?” Elsie asks as she is pulled into an alcove.

“I was talking to Lady Mary upstairs. She knows about us. She isn’t going to say anything to Lord Grantham, but I thought I should let you know.” Charles whispers in Elsie’s ear.

“How did she find out?” Elsie hisses, her Scottish accent coming out even more than usual.

“She saw me watching you walk away from me and she knew instantly how I was feeling. She knows me too well.” Charles sighs heavily.

“You’re sure she won’t tell her father?” Elsie sounds desperate.

“She won’t tell anyone because I asked her not to. She’d do anything for me.” Charles says reassuringly.

“And so would I.” Elsie stretches up and kisses Charles’ cheek. “Now, let’s go have lunch.”


	5. Servants' Lunch

Charles takes a deep breath. He and Mrs Hughes walk quickly towards the dining room. Charles sits at the head of the table and Elsie walks down and sits at the other end of the table. The other servants watch their two seniors. They both seem ill at ease, which is unusual for the two of them.

“Are you alright, Mr. Carson?” Mr Bates asks as he looks carefully at his superior.

“I’m fine, thank you, Mr Bates.” Mr Carson says sternly.

“Are you alright, Mrs Hughes? You seem out of sorts.” Anna asks gently.

“Yes, Anna, I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.” Mrs Hughes says kindly.

Mrs Patmore comes into the dining hall carrying a large pot of soup and Daisy carries bread and butter.

“I’ll let you serve the soup, Mrs Hughes.” Mr Carson says politely.

“Giving me the opportunity to serve, Mr Carson? That’s a dangerous proposition.” Mrs Hughes teases.

“I trust you, Mrs Hughes. Now, does everyone want bread?” Mr Carson takes control of the situation. Mrs Hughes passes full bowls of split pea soup down the table. She sits down to her soup after she puts the pot on the sideboard. Even though Charles is sitting at the other end of the table, she can feel his eyes watching her closely. She gives him a sharp look, but his eyes don’t waver. He’s very confident and Elsie can feel the confidence radiate from him. She settles down to her soup and pretends that Charles isn’t watching her.


	6. Could You Be Any More Obvious?

Elsie leaves the dining hall first and hides in an alcove waiting for Charles to come by. She grabs his wrist and pulls him into the alcove next to her. “Could you be any more obvious?” Elsie hisses.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Charles says coyly.

“That’s not true at all! You know exactly what I’m talking about. You were watching me all through luncheon. I wonder how many of our friends now know about us because you can’t be discreet!” Elsie is frustrated with Charles.

“If Lady Mary knows, why can’t our friends know? They won’t tell His Lordship either. After all, everyone knew about Anna and Bates and no one told His Lordship. We can trust our friends. They trust us with all of their secrets.” Charles says seriously.

“We won’t have to tell our friends anything if keep behaving this way! They’ll know by this afternoon tea time!” Elsie hisses at Charles.

“I’ll try and be more discreet. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Elsie.” Charles says gently.

“You didn’t make me uncomfortable, Charles. I’m just a very private person and it’s difficult enough around here to keep a secret and you’re making it much more difficult to keep us between us.” Elsie says reassuringly.

“If you wanted to keep this all secret why didn’t you say so in the first place? I can’t read minds, Elsie.” Charles asks Elsie indignantly.

“I thought we understood each other! We’ve both lived at Downton long enough to know how hard it is to keep a secret! We also both know that we can’t keep our jobs if we’re found out.” Elsie tries to appeal to Charles’ logic.

“I know that. We haven’t been discovered yet and I’m sure we can keep this within our colleagues and Lady Mary. You worry too much.” Charles says seriously.

“I don’t think I can worry too much about this. We could lose our livelihoods if we are discovered!” Elsie is getting more emotional the longer she talks to Charles.

Charles tries to calm Elsie down. He puts his arms around her and waits for her to relax. She takes a deep breath and wraps her arms around him. She leans her head on his chest. He can make her feel so much better. “We can’t worry about everything all at the same time. Come and talk to me if you need to. We can sort everything out. I need to get back to work.”

“I should get back to work too. Have you picked out the cutlery and dishware for dinner tonight?” Elsie asks as she steps away from Charles.

“No, I haven’t yet. I’ll do that when I come down from serving lunch. I’ll see you soon, Elsie. I could use some help getting all the silver polished.” Charles suggests to Elsie.

“Of course I’ll help you. Come and knock on my sitting room door and we’ll go polish silver if you want.” Elsie wants to help Charles.


	7. Serving Luncheon

Charles walks away from Elsie and climbs the stairs to serve lunch. He knows the footmen will already have carried the food upstairs. He’s so happy with Elsie even though she is more concerned about her relationship with him than he’d like. Unfortunately they don’t get to spend very much time together and he doesn’t get to see Elsie relaxed very often and he doesn’t get to see her in her regular clothes very often. Black doesn’t suit her very well. It ages her more than any other colour. He smiles as he walks upstairs. He may not get a lot of personal time, but he can still daydream.

“Carson, we were about to start without you. Where have you been?” Lord Grantham asks his butler.

“Mrs Hughes and I had to have a conversation about the shoot this weekend. I’m sorry I’m late.” Carson explains to his employer.

“That’s alright Carson. We know that running this household is a large project.” Lady Grantham says sympathetically.

Carson pulls his white gloves on and begins to serve lunch. He serves the cream of leek soup carefully. He’s never been the best server of soup. He sets the soup tureen on the sideboard when he’s finished serving.

“What did you have for lunch, Carson?” Lady Mary asks as she turns to look at the butler.

“Split pea soup and fresh bread. It was very good.” Carson says as he refills everyone’s wine glasses.

“Mrs Patmore does make very good soup. I’m glad she’s doing the soup kitchen. I’m sure she’s making life much easier for people.” Lord Grantham compliments their cook.

Carson clears the soup bowls and William runs them down to Mrs Patmore. He serves the chicken pot pie to each member of the family and then comes around with the greens allowing each member of the family to serve themselves. He watches the family begin to eat. He smiles as he notices that the ladies start their meal by eating their greens whereas Lord Grantham has already driven his fork into the pot pie.

“Give my compliments to Mrs Patmore, Carson. This is very good.” Lady Grantham says politely.

“Of course my lady.” Carson says solemnly.

“May I be excused, father? I have calls I have to make this afternoon.” Lady Mary asks quietly. She refused to get as involved in the war effort as Edith and Sybil have become. She can’t deal with the soldiers who are convalescing at Downton.

“Of course, Mary. Don’t be too late coming home. Your grandmother is coming for dinner. She’ll expect you to be here.” Lord Grantham reminds his daughter.

“Yes father, I’ll be home in time for dinner.” Mary says politely. She allows Carson to pull her chair out for her. She kisses her father’s cheek before she walks out of the room. Carson smiles as he watches Lady Mary walk away. She’s turned into a lovely young woman, though Elsie wouldn’t agree with him.

“Is there dessert, Carson?” Lord Grantham asks as he sets his cutlery down.

“Yes Your Lordship, Mrs Patmore made stewed rhubarb and custard.” Carson tells his employer.

“Yummy, I’ll have some Carson, thank you.” Lady Edith says with sparkling eyes.

Carson sets down a dish of warm rhubarb in front of Lady Edith and holds the bowl of custard for her to add as much custard as she wants.

“I’ll have dessert, Carson.” Lady Grantham requests of her butler. “I don’t want as much as Edith though.”

“I’ll have dessert as well, Carson. You can give me a little more than Edith.” Lord Grantham says with a gentle smile.

“Shall I take some dessert to Lady Sybil? She hasn’t had anything to eat since breakfast.” Carson asks as he serves the rest of the desserts.

“I’m sure she could use something. Thank you, Carson.” Lady Grantham says sweetly.

“You’re welcome, my lady.” Carson says gently. He dishes up another serving of rhubarb and tops it with the amount of custard Lady Sybil likes. “Do you have everything you need from me?”

“Yes Carson. Take that to Sybil before it gets cold.” Lord Grantham dismisses his butler.

Carson carries the dish of rhubarb and custard down the hall with a spoon. He knows Lady Sybil works very hard, but that doesn’t mean she should skip meals. “Lady Sybil, I brought you something to eat. Your mother was concerned when you didn’t attend luncheon.” Carson says gently as he sets the dish down.

“Oh, my favourite! Thank you, Carson. Tell mother I will be at dinner. I know granny’s coming to dinner.” Sybil tells Carson.

“I’ll tell her, milady. I wish you weren’t working so hard.” Carson says gently.

“I can’t do anything else, Carson. I’d feel guilty if I wasn’t doing anything.” Sybil says seriously.

“I know, milady. You always were the one most concerned about people who need help, even when you were a little girl.” Carson reminisces. “I’ll bring you some tea later. Don’t work too hard.”

“I won’t work too hard. Don’t worry.” Lady Sybil stands up and kisses Carson’s cheek. He’s always so concerned about the Crawley girls.


	8. Time to Spend Together and Talking About the Future

Carson walks out the hospital wing of the house and walks downstairs to the servants’ corridor. He knocks on Elsie’s sitting room door on his way to his sitting room. He hears a heavy sigh from inside.

“Charles, there you are! Are we ready to polish some silver?” Elsie asks enthusiastically.

“Yes, I am. I can do the china and cutlery later. I know what I’m going to do for table.” Charles says with a warm smile.

“Is the Dowager Countess attending dinner tonight?” Elsie asks as they walk down to Charles’ sitting room.

“Yes, she is attending dinner which makes my decisions for table so much easier.” Charles opens the door to his sitting room and allowing Elsie to go in ahead of him. After Charles closes the door and turns around he gasps when he sees how stunning Elsie looks. The fire light flickers across her face as she curls into a chair. The daily silverware and some of the silver candlesticks are sitting on Charles’ desk. He passes Elsie a polishing cloth, a pot of polish, and a stack of silverware. Elsie carefully unscrews the lid on the polish and sets the jar of polish on the arm of the chair. She dips the cloth into the polish and swirls it on a piece of cutlery. She looks up briefly to watch Charles. He’s so intent on his task. She loves seeing him like this: relaxed and enjoying his time. They don’t have to be doing anything special to enjoy their time together. “I know you’re watching me, Elsie.” Charles mumbles as he continues to polish the silverware.

“Now you know how I felt at lunch. You have very intense eyes, Charles.” Elsie teases Charles.

“You have very intense eyes too, Elsie. I always know when you’re watching me.” Charles teases Elsie right back.

“Charles, stop polishing for a minute and come and sit with me for a while. I’ve missed you today.” Elsie says gently.

Charles sets his polish cloth and the cutlery down and walks towards Elsie slowly. He sits on the arm of the chair that Elsie didn’t set the polish on. He wraps his arms around Elsie and she curls into his side. He feels so comfortable in Elsie’s presence. He notices how chilly Elsie seems to be and tries to pull her closer, but the arm of the chair gets in the way. “Stand up, Elsie.” Charles sits down in the chair and pulls Elsie back down to sit on his lap. Elsie puts her arms around Charles’ waist and leans her cheek on his lapel. Charles sighs happily as he holds Elsie.

“Are you alright, Charles?” Elsie asks looking up at him with concern in her voice.

“I’m fine, Elsie. I don’t want to move. I’m so comfortable and happy.” Charles whispers. He’s afraid he’ll break the spell of the moment.

Elsie smiles at Charles’ words. He’s sweet when they’re together. “Charles, what are we going to do when we retire? Do you have a plan?”

“I had a plan when I thought I would retire on my own, but now that I’d like you and to retire together, I must admit that I’m less prepares than I would like to be.” Charles says honestly.

“Well, I know I wasn’t expecting to retire with anyone either, so you sort of ruined my retirement, too. Good thing I don’t mind that you’ve totally changed my life. I have been saving my salary for years, so I do have some savings set by.” Elsie says gently teasing Charles.

“I have some savings set by as well. I don’t know what we’ll want to do when we retire though. I didn’t have many plans for just me, but now that my future includes you I’m not sure what to do. You’ve rather turned my world upside down, Elsie.” Charles teases gently.

“No one ever said life wasn’t going to change, Charles. We decided to see if we could make this work between us. That decision in and of itself changed our lives. We can’t expect our lives to stay the same forever. I, for one, know that I think I’m much better off with you than without you.” Elsie says sweetly.

“You’re right, Elsie. We both knew that things would change, even in our opinions and views of each other, but I don’t mind the change. I’ve never been afraid of change, but the uncertainty does worry me. I’ve never been uncertain of anything in my life until now. What do you want to do when you, we, retire?” Charles asks Elsie. He wants to know all her hopes and dreams for her future.

“I always thought it would be lovely to run a little bed and breakfast on the coast, maybe near Lime Regis. I went there once, in my younger years, and I’ve always loved it there. I always knew it was practically impossible because I can’t run a place like that on my own. It feels much more possible now. You’ve made my dreams seem much more possible.” Elsie says sweetly.

“I considered running a B&B for a long time, but I knew it was too much work for one person and I can’t really cook either, so I gave up on that idea. Then, I thought about opening a tea shop, but again, I can’t bake either. I always thought that it would be nice to have a little cottage somewhere on the coast and get away from it all. Now that we’re together we could run a B&B together, but I don’t feel as if we need to work. I would like to be in Lime Regis. I’ve heard it’s beautiful.” Charles says smiling at Elsie.

“You’d love it. We could buy a little place right on the beach and we could live in it and run it as a B&B. It would be fun.” Elsie sounds excited.

“Running a B&B isn’t too much like our current job, is it? Why can’t we just retire and not work?” Charles asks with concern in his voice.

“It’s very similar to our current job, but we’re very good at our jobs.” Elsie says confidently.

“Well, I suppose our future is set then. I feel much better now that our future has a plan and is more set. I don’t life to show you my uncertainty because I’m not uncertain about us at all.” Charles says seriously.

“I know you’re not uncertain about us, Charles. You don’t have to reassure me, but it sounds as if you may need to reassure yourself. Are you feeling nervous or unsure of something?” Elsie asks gently.

“I’ve never been in a relationship this passionate and this intimate. Sometimes I can’t believe this is even happening and I am unsure of myself. I’ve never done this before and I’m not sure how everything is meant to go. I just know I love you.” Charles admits quietly.

“You think I’m any more certain about any of this than you are? I don’t know what I’m doing. I just want to spend as much time as possible with you. I want to know you inside and out. I want you to feel perfectly comfortable telling me anything. I want to be able to watch you change and have you watch me without either of us blushing. I don’t want us to be embarrassed by our feelings for each other. I want us to be able to talk about anything. I want us to not worry about what anyone may think about the two of us being together. I don’t want to have to worry about being caught. I just want to love you.” Elsie tells Charles.

“That’s all I really want too. It doesn’t really matter what else we do when we retire. I just want to be with you and love you. I want to marry you, Elsie.” Charles admits gently.

Elsie is shocked. She had hoped, but this is the first time Charles has mentioned something so permanent to her. She’s secretly delighted, but she doesn’t want to seem too eager. This relationship is still relatively new in its more intimate form and Elsie is surprised that Charles is being so forward in his declarations. He’s usually more guarded when he speaks. She stays quiet, but cuddles against Charles to reassure him that she’s not upset with what he said. He’s opening up much more to Elsie than he did before. Elsie looks at the clock and says, “We should head down to dinner. We don’t need to finish polishing this cutlery today. It’s the everyday cutlery.”

Charles glances up at the clock on the mantle. “Yes, we should go to dinner. Do you think it’s safe to walk to dinner together?”

“I think it would seem peculiar if we didn’t. We always walk together to meals. I don’t want people to think we’ve had a row if we don’t arrive together.” Elsie says seriously.

“Well, let’s go then. We shouldn’t be late for dinner or everyone will be suspicious.” Charles watches Elsie smooth her dress and put the lid back on the polish jar that sits on the arm of the chair. She puts the polish back on Charles’ desk.

Charles offers Elsie his arm and she tucks her hand into his elbow. Elsie leans her head briefly on Charles’ shoulder. “I’m so happy, Charles.” Elsie whispers.

“I’m happy too, Elsie. You make me so happy.” Charles whispers quietly as the get closer to the servant’s hall. If Elsie doesn’t want their friends to know about their relationship then he certainly won’t tell anyone about it.


	9. Should We Tell His Lordship?

Charles and Elsie walk into the servant’s hall. As Elsie sits down she smoothes her skirt under her. “Please start everyone, don’t wait on my account.” Elsie says politely.

Charles spoons chicken stew over dumplings for everyone. He watches Elsie as she takes her meal from Anna. She’s so elegant and she doesn’t even realize it. Even to watch her purse her lips or glare at someone is still beautiful. She can also be very demure and shy. This particular quality surprised Charles initially. He always considered Elsie to be very confident and he never thought she had any reason not to be. Charles would like to be able to stay in this moment forever, but he and the footmen have to get upstairs to serve dinner. “Can I talk to you after I serve dinner?” Charles asks giving Elsie a look that he hopes she understands.

“Of course, Mr Carson. We can meet in my sitting room if you like. Shall I have tea ready?” Elsie asks teasingly. She knows very well Charles always brings the leftover wine from dinner to their after dinner meetings.

“No thank you, Mrs Hughes. I won’t sleep if I have tea after 10 o’clock.” Charles says setting his cutlery down, wiping his mouth, and standing up. The footmen quickly follow him.

Elsie wipes her mouth and smirks behind her napkin. Charles is being terribly sweet and Elsie loves to see it. He can be very concerned by and self-conscious of showing his emotions, even to Elsie. She knows he loves her, but he sometimes struggles to show and tell her how he feels. She often has to remind him that he can tell her anything. She decides to organize the rooms and the seating chart for the shooting party. She knows it won’t take the entire time Charles is upstairs, but it will give her something to do while she waits. She sits down at her desk and runs her hands along the smooth top. She pulls out her blotter, some paper and a pen. She consults her guest list and taps the end of her pen against her lips. She tries to decide which rooms to put the gentlemen in. Some of them have to be in the bachelor’s corridor and two of them can be in the main living space because their wives are coming to balance the numbers. Elsie quickly writes her list. There are only so many rooms available since they have recuperating soldiers all over the house. The seating chart is easily enough done and soon enough Elsie has nothing to do. She moves to her small settee and picks up her book from the side table. She curls her feet around her and waits for Charles to arrive. The fire flickers warmly and every so often Elsie hears the fire pop. The usual crackle from the fire actually sounds friendly. Elsie sets her book down for a moment and takes the pins out of her hair. She shakes it out and lets her hair flow down her back. She can feel how much less tense her forehead feels when her hair is loose. She hears a quiet knock on the door and she instantly knows it’s Charles. “Come in.” Elsie calls just loud enough for Charles to hear her.

“I brought wine.” Charles says softly as he enters the room.

Elsie turns and smiles at Charles. He comes and sits next to her. He sets the tray with two glasses and the decanter of wine on the table. He unties his tie and unbuttons the top button of his shirt. He pulls the stopper out of the decanter and pours them each a glass of wine. Charles passes Elsie her glass of wine and then moves closer to her. Elsie carefully cuddles closer to Charles. She doesn’t want to spill any wine. She feels his long fingers run through her long, dark hair. Elsie leans her head back towards Charles’ hand. He makes her so comfortable even though she’s never been in a relationship this serious before. She slowly sips the expensive white wine in her glass. She enjoys the moments like this that she gets to spend with Charles. She hears Charles sigh above her. “Charles, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Elsie. I just wish that we didn’t have to part at the end of the night. Maybe we should tell His Lordship about our relationship. After all, Anna and Bates were in a relationship for a while before they told His Lordship and they have been allowed to stay. I can’t see that His Lordship would let both of us go because of our relationship.” Charles says seriously.

“Do you really want to tell His Lordship about us? I want us to be able to stay together all night too, but is it worth risking our careers over?” Elsie asks quietly.

Charles sighs heavily. It’s clear to him now that he hasn’t been expressing his emotions very well. He needs to tell Elsie exactly how he feels right now. “Are you really asking me if I would give up my career for you? Elsie Hughes, I would give up my life for you. My career is inconsequential compared to me being happy with you. Whatever happens between us is meant to happen. I don’t want to spend any more time without you.”

“Do you think His Lordship will still be up?” Elsie asks. She decides they might as well tell him now.

Charles looks up at the clock on Elsie’s mantelpiece. “Yes, he should still be up. Why do you ask?”

“Let’s tell him right now then. Why wait?” Elsie asks seriously.

“Are you certain? You weren’t very certain five minutes ago.” Charles asks looking down at Elsie seriously.

“Of course I’m certain because you’re so certain about me. That means the world to me.” Elsie smiles at Charles.


	10. Telling His Lordship

“Let’s go then. His Lordship won’t be up for a lot longer.” Charles stands up and draws Elsie with him. He puts his arm around her waist as they climb the stairs. “Let me do the talking when we see His Lordship.”

“Of course Charles. You know His Lordship better than I do. You know how to phrase this so that His Lordship won’t be terribly upset with us.” Elsie smiles at how gentlemanly Charles is being towards her.

Charles knocks on the door to the library. “It’s Carson, Your Lordship.”

“Come in, Carson.” Lord Grantham calls loudly.

Charles drops his arm from around Elsie’s waist as they walk into the room. “Can Mrs Hughes and I talk to you, sir?” Charles requests of his employer.

“Of course Carson. Is something wrong?” Lord Grantham asks as he turns in his chair.

“No milord, nothing is wrong, but we do have something to tell you that may or may not surprise you.” Charles says hesitantly.

Lord Grantham smirks at Charles and Elsie. He’s pretty sure he knows what Carson is about to tell him. “Alright, Carson, go ahead. I’m listening.”

“Well sir, we did notice that when Anna and Mr Bates announced their relationship they weren’t asked to relinquish their positions. We now need to tell you that Mrs Hughes and I are also in a relationship. We will not allow our relationship to interfere with our jobs.” Carson reassures Lord Grantham.

Lord Grantham starts to laugh. “Oh Carson, I know you would never let your relationship interfere with your job. We all knew that you should be together, but we didn’t want to interfere. I’m very happy for you.” Lord Grantham smiles at the couple. He stands up and shakes Carson’s hand and kisses Mrs Hughes’ hand.

“So, we’re allowed to keep our jobs, sir?” Mrs Hughes asks quietly.

“Of course, Mrs Hughes. I would be crazy to let both of you go at the same time. You will be allowed to work here as long as you like and when you decided to retire you will be given whatever you want.” Lord Grantham says seriously.

“Thank you, milord.” Carson says genuinely. He and Elsie begin to walk towards the door.

“Carson, before you and Mrs Hughes go is there anything I can do to help? Can I get you two a room in the house that you can both stay in? That’s the same offer I made to Anna and Bates.” Lord Grantham offers to his favourite two employees.

“That’s very generous of you, milord.” Charles glances down at Elsie to see her reaction. “We’ll take your offer, milord. It’s very kind of you.”

“Thank you so much, milord.” Elsie says with a giant smile on her face. She’s so happy that His Lordship has been so kind to them. Most employers wouldn’t have kept a couple on staff, but Lord Grantham has always been very accommodating to his employees and this is very forward thinking of him.

“I’m just glad that you’re happy, Mrs Hughes. Thank you for letting me know. Now, go spend some time together. I’m sure that you don’t get enough time together privately.” Lord Grantham says firmly.

Elsie blushes. She’s not used to people know about their relationship. Charles reaches for Elsie’s hand and pulls her gently towards the door. “You don’t have to tell us twice, sir.” Charles says. Elsie breathes a sigh of relief as they leave the room. “Are you alright?” Charles asks putting his arm around Elsie’s shoulders.

“Yes, I’m alright now. His Lordship was very generous and kind.” Elsie says quietly.

“That’s because you’re so sweet, Elsie. No one can say no to you.” Charles teases Elsie gently. “I expect the room His Lordship is planning for us is very nice. Bates said their room is lovely.”

“Everything in this house is lovely. I would expect nothing less. I’m glad His Lordship has been so accommodating to us. You were very good Charles. His Lordship listens to you. We could have been in very big trouble.” Elsie says seriously.

“Well, now at least we never have to be apart at night. If we have time tomorrow we should try to move into our new room.” Charles smiles genuinely.

“We’ll have to tell the staff where we’ll be so they can find us if they need to. It’s probably more common to see the young women when they’re worried about something, but everyone should know.” Elsie reasons.

“You’re right, Elsie. You and I are the parents of our little brood and they should be able to come and talk to us about anything at any time. Shall we make our announcement at breakfast?” Charles asks. He wants to make this decision with Elsie, not for her.

“If I thought we would have all the information for our staff I would say we should tell the staff in the morning, but we won’t know where we’re going to be living after we move rooms.” Elsie thinks through their options.

Charles furrows his brow as he thinks about what Elsie has said. “You’re right, Elsie. We can’t tell the staff until we know where we’re staying. We’ll tell them at lunch then after I have a chance to talk to His Lordship.”

“That’s a better plan. We can’t tell our friends only part of the story. They deserve as much information from us as we’re willing to give.” Elsie says seriously.

“My question is where are we staying tonight and how much are we going to tell our friends? We need to make a decision between the two of us.” Charles says as they walk into the servant’s quarters.

“Why don’t we stay in your room? It’s got a bigger bed than mine. As for how much we tell our friends it can’t be anything too personal, nothing about how we spend our evenings. We don’t have to tell them anything we don’t want to. This is our private life and we don’t have to share anything if we don’t feel we need to.” Elsie says logically.

“Do you have clothes in my room? I can’t remember now.” Charles asks quietly. He doesn’t want anyone else to hear.

“Yes, I do have clothes in your room. Let’s go to bed. I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.” Elsie says gently.

“I am exhausted. I should sleep well with you next to me.” Charles says sweetly.


	11. Settling in for the Night

Elsie smiles at Charles. He opens the door to his room and the two enter quietly. Elsie slowly takes the pins out of her hair and braids it instead. She pulls her nightgown out of the wardrobe and reaches up her back and unbuttons her dress. She steps out of her dress and hangs it up in the wardrobe. Charles swallows slowly trying to control his emotions. Elsie looks beautiful and she looks younger with some of her hair down around her face. She slips into her nightgown and buttons it up. She slips her stockings off and sits down on the side of the bed.

“Elsie, are you alright? Something changed in the last couple of minutes. I can tell.” Charles asks sitting next to Elsie on the bed.

“I’m just nervous that’s all. My brain is over-thinking everything right now.” Elsie says honestly.

“There’s no need to be nervous. You’re not usually nervous with me. Nothing untoward will happen between us, I promise. Elsie, I love you and I will wait until we are married to be with you fully. I care about you that much that I will always protect your reputation and your emotions.” Charles says gently.

“Charles, you are so sweet! I love you for how sweet and gentle you’re being with me. You’re being so patient with me and I appreciate it so much.” Elsie throws her arms around Charles’ waist as she speaks.

“You’re welcome, Elsie. Now, let’s go to sleep. We’ll deal with everything we need to get finished this week tomorrow. Stop thinking for the night, my love.” Charles slowly puts his arms around Elsie. He always has hesitated being openly affectionate.

“Which side of the bed do you like to sleep on?” Elsie asks as she calms down.

“I always sleep on the side closest to the door.” Charles says as he takes his robe off.

Elsie slips between the sheets on the bed and waits for Charles to join her. Charles blows out the lamp on the bedside table and climbs in next to Elsie. He feels the soft flesh of Elsie’s waist under the flannel of her nightgown as he pulls her against him. Elsie sighs as she feels Charles’ arm around her. “I won’t be needing a hot water bottle anymore.” Elsie murmurs sleepily.

“Don’t be so sure about that. My feet are always cold. You may regret that decision.” Charles teases in the dark. He kisses the back of Elsie’s head. “Good night Elsie. I love you.”

“I love you too, Charles. I’ll see you in the morning.” Elsie whispers.


	12. Stop Watching Me and Sneaking Out

Charles wakes up first in the morning and watches Elsie for a few minutes. She looks relaxed and so beautiful. She cuddles her face into his chest as she rolls over. It’s clear that she’s waking up, but doesn’t want to. Charles has to admit that they do have to wake up far too early. He sometimes wishes he could sleep in as late as he wants, but he knows if he’d lived that kind of life he would never have met Elsie and that feels wrong. Elsie is such an integral part of his life that he can’t imagine a day without her in it. He doesn’t want to wake her even if they should have been up already. He wraps his arms tighter around Elsie and snuggles down into the warm blankets.

Elsie yawns as she wakes up. Charles has fallen back to sleep already and Elsie us happy it’s not urgent that they be up immediately and ready to work. She watches Charles as he sleeps and brushes a stray lock of grey hair from his forehead. He looks younger when he’s asleep. Elsie feels privileged to be the only one to see Charles like this. She also knows, however, that they have to get up. She gently shakes Charles. “Good morning, Charles. It’s time to wake up, my love.” Elsie says gently.

“I’ve already been awake once this morning watching you while you were asleep, but you looked so peaceful I decided to let you get some more sleep. You look so precious when you’re asleep, Elsie. I can’t believe that I get to wake up to that face every morning for the rest of my life.” Charles, like any good servant, knows when he’s being watched and he knows Elsie was watching him before she woke him up.

“You were watching me while I was asleep! I couldn’t tell if I was dreaming or not, but I could feel your eyes on me at one point. I hate being watched like that.” Elsie says indignantly.

“I can’t help but watch you whether you’re awake of asleep, but you look particularly lovely when you’re asleep. The stress just melts away from your face. I love seeing you like this. It’s a privilege, Elsie, and I know it better than anyone.” Charles says sweetly.

Elsie blushes and smiles at Charles’ words. She leans forward and kisses Charles on the lips. She loves the feeling of Charles’ lips against hers. Charles is trying to be a gentleman, but Elsie is forcing the situation. She wants Charles to be more passionate with her, but he always hesitates. He doesn’t want to ruin her reputation. He’s always concerned about her much more than he is about himself. Elsie pushes her tongue softly against Charles’ lips. For once Charles doesn’t hesitate to react. He’s more experienced than Elsie, but she’s the bolder of the two. Slowly, slowly the couple pull away from the kiss. When Elsie opens her eyes to look at Charles her eyes are sparkling. Charles thinks she looks absolutely lovely.

“We should get up. The staff will be suspicious if we’re both late to breakfast. They’re already suspicious enough without us being late.” Charles says logically.

“We’ll be conforming their suspicions soon enough. Remind me to ask His Lordship for the key to our new room and to turn in my key to my current room.” Elsie slides out of bed. Charles tries to grab hold of her but she slips out of his grasp. “Come on, we have work to do. His Lordship will probably be down in the dining room to talk to us this morning. Now, do you want him to tell the staff what’s going on or would you rather do it. His Lordship will tell them everything whereas we can censor what we tell them.”

“You’re right, Elsie, we have to tell them before His Lordship gets a chance to tell the staff.” Charles hops out of bed and is quickly dressed pristinely. Elsie is about to open the door when Charles stops her. “Let me check and make sure the coast is clear. We don’t want the staff to find out this way.”

“Of course, Charles. We don’t want someone like Miss O’Brien to catch us.” Elsie teases Charles. She watches as he opens the door. He looks around and seeing no one turns to Elsie.

“The coast is clear. Let’s go to breakfast.” Charles says as he and Elsie walk out of the room.


	13. Telling the Staff

“Good morning everyone.” Charles says as they enter the dining hall.

“How can you be so happy this early in the morning?” Miss O’Brien grumbles to her superiors.

Elsie and Charles just shake their heads and ignore their grumpy colleague. Mrs Pattmore comes in with a large pot of porridge. “Before we start I would like to make an announcement. Mr Carson and I are moving into a room, here in the house, together. We’re not sure where we’ll be yet, but we’ll let you know so you can find us if need be.”

“So we’ve been right all along! Every time someone said there seemed to be a deep connection between the two of you you denied it, but it was actually true! You two are devious!” Miss O’Brien teases the couple.

“Well, it’s nice to have another couple around. That means that the others will stop focusing on us all the time. You make a lovely couple Mrs Hughes.” Mr Bates says to the new couple. He quite likes both Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes and thinks they both deserve all the happiness they can find.

“So, how long has this been going on, then?” William asks gently. He doesn’t want to probe too deeply.

“I’m not sure that I’m comfortable telling you that. It’s a lot longer than you think.” Elsie says quietly.

His Lordship comes into the servant’s dining hall to talk to the staff. “Leave them be, you lot. Their business is theirs and no one else’s. Here’s the key to you new room, Mrs Hughes. You and Carson will both have one. It’s on the first floor next to Anna and Bates.”

“Thank you, milord.” Elsie stands up to talk to her boss. “Here’s the key for my room. I don’t need it back. I left the door to my room unlocked so I can pack up my things and move today.”

“I didn’t say so last night, Mrs Hughes, but congratulations. You deserve all the happiness in the world and so do you Carson.” Lord Grantham takes Elsie’s hand and kisses the back of it. He’s always been a gentleman, even to the servants.

Charles stands up and stands behind Elsie with his hands on her shoulders. “Thank you, Your Lordship.”

“Take care of her, Carson. She deserves to be loved. She’s very special.” Lord Grantham says firmly.

“I know she’s special, milord. There are very few women who can put up with me the way she can. I will take care of her, milord, I promise.” Carson says sweetly.

“I also suspect, Carson, and since I know Mrs Hughes well, probably rightly, that she keeps you in line the same way my wife does.” Lord Grantham teases the new couple just the way they suspected her would.

“Yes, she does indeed keep me in my place, milord, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Carson says firmly.

“I wouldn’t either, Carson. I love my wife just the way she is. I’m going to give you a piece of advice that my father gave me that I hope I’ve listened to. Tell her you love her every chance you get because you don’t know how many chances you’ll get.” Lord Grantham says seriously.

“That’s very good advice, milord.” Charles reaches into his pocket and pulls out his room key. Elsie rests her cheek on the back of Charles’ hand on her shoulder. “I’m returning my room key to you, milord, and I have to say thank you once again for your generosity in this matter.”

“Carson, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I want my employees to be happy and it’s clear Mrs Hughes makes you very happy.” Lord Grantham takes the key from Carson and shakes his hand.

Elsie fingers the keys at her hip and finds the one to her personal rooms. “Here, Your Lordship. It’s clear that I won’t be needing this key anymore.”

“You’re sure this is your room key, Mrs Hughes? You have so many keys. I wouldn’t want you to have given me the wrong one.” Lord Grantham questions gently.

“Your Lordship I know every key on this ring and what it opens. I gave you the right one. I’ve used that key every day since I became the housekeeper at Downton. I know every wear pattern on that key.” Elsie says tenderly. She has very fond memories in that room.

Lord Grantham smiles at Mrs Hughes. She’s such a lovely lady, but stubborn as all get out. “Finish you breakfast. I left you your room key so you’re all ready to move.”

“Thank you, Your Lordship.” Charles says as he pulls Elsie’s chair out for her.

“That was a very generous offer from His Lordship.” William says as he sets his tea down.

“When we told him last night he wanted to be able to keep us both working so he made the offer. It’s very kind of him. He certainly didn’t have to do that.” Elsie says as she spoons up porridge for herself and Charles.

Charles pours himself and Elsie a large cup of tea. He slides Elsie’s teacup over to her and Elsie spoons brown sugar onto Charles’ porridge before she slides his bowl over to him. Suddenly small moments between Charles and Elsie seem much more special and are more obvious now than they ever were before.

The conversation is always quiet during meals, but Elsie and Charles both feel as if their colleagues are watching them more than usual. Charles quickly finishes his breakfast knowing he has to be upstairs to serve breakfast. He stands up and kisses Elsie’s cheek. “I’ll see you after breakfast.”

Elsie blushes because she knows the staff is watching her and Charles. William and Thomas stand up and follow Charles out of the room.


	14. Tell Me More Tell Me More

“Oh, that was so sweet! Mr Carson is so sweet to you, Mrs Hughes!” Anna says sweetly. “It will be so nice to have another couple around the house. We can talk when we need to. We can help each other.”

“It will be nice to have someone to talk to. Thank you for your support everyone.” Elsie says sipping her tea. Anna and Miss O’Brien head off to dress their charges.

Mrs Patmore and Daisy come in to have breakfast knowing that the family’s breakfast is on its way upstairs. “We heard your news, Mrs Hughes, congratulations.” Mrs Patmore says as she sits down.

“Thank you, Mrs Patmore. I appreciate your support very much. I think most people on staff were aware of the connection Mr Carson and I have, but we managed to keep our relationship a secret for longer than I thought we could.” Elsie says with a genuine smile.

Daisy quickly escapes back to the kitchen. Mrs Patmore and Mrs Hughes are similar in age and Daisy knows Mrs Hughes will be more open if she’s not around.

“So,” Mrs Patmore whispers, “tell me everything about Mr Carson. Is he a good kisser?”

Mrs Hughes blushes under Mrs Patmore’s scrutiny. “I don’t know if I should tell you. Charles might be upset with me if I tell you our secrets, but I have to tell someone and you’re the closer one to my age. He’s a wonderful kisser and he’s so sweet.”

“How did you ever have time to cultivate a serious relationship?” Mrs Patmore asks as she sips her tea.

“Well, every night after Charles had finished serving dinner, once I became housekeeper, he’d come and visit me and being the leftover wine and we’d sit and talk and have a glass of wine. We talked about everything. I know more about Charles than I ever thought possible. He makes me feel like a woman and that is so rare. We don’t have to spend lots of time together to be happy and fall in love. He’s made me a better person. I’ve never felt this deeply for another person in my entire life. I’ve been proposed to before and not been as in love as I am with Charles. I looked at Anna and Mr Bates as they fell in love and I wished that I’d been able to be with him when we were younger. He tells me every chance that he gets that he adores me.” Elsie tells Mrs Patmore.

“You are so lucky, Mrs Hughes. We could all see how much Mr Carson cares about you. You are the only one Mr Carson has to dance with at the servant’s ball every Christmas. You’re very special to him and I think it’s wonderful. I hope that you’re very happy with him. There are many women in Downton that will be very jealous of you. You are with the most perfect man for many women around here.” Mrs Patmore says. She actually enjoys chatting with Mrs Hughes.

Mrs Hughes smiles deviously. She knows how lucky she is to have Charles in her life this way. “You’re right Mrs Patmore. I know that I’m lucky. I have to remember to tell Charles I love him and that I’m very lucky to have him in my life. I never thought that I would get a chance to fall in love this late in my life. To fall in love for the first time in my life now when I know I can’t have my own family is a little bittersweet. It doesn’t upset Charles, but I wish we’d had a chance to have a family. I think he would have been a wonderful father, a little strict perhaps, but a very loving father. I just hope that we get a chance to have a life together. This is certainly a start for us.”

“Have you consummated the relationship yet or are you waiting for the day you get married?” Mrs Patmore asks. She wants to know all the details of Mrs Hughes’ relationship, but she knows she probably overstepped her boundaries with this question.

“Mrs Patmore that is a very inappropriate question and I am absolutely not answering it ever! That is between Charles and myself. He is a gentleman and that is all I am saying on that subject.” Elsie says firmly.

“You’re a spoilsport. You’re a passionate woman and I bet beneath that stern exterior of Mr Carson’s he’s a passionate man. If I were to guess I would say that you’ve come close to consummating the relationship on some of those long, cold, dark nights in your sitting room.” Mrs Patmore smiles cheekily at Mrs Hughes.

“You will never know because I certainly won’t tell you personal details like that. At least Charles and I won’t have to sleep on the sofa in my sitting room because we’re afraid of being caught coming out of one of our rooms. His arms make me feel so safe and there are nights when we’re sitting together and we simply don’t want to leave. He keeps me warm all night. I should go get some work done. Thank you for talking with me, Mrs Patmore, it is nice to have someone to talk to.” Elsie says seriously.

“You can talk to me any time, Mrs Hughes. It’s nice to have a friend around here. I want to know more about you. I used to know you better, but we grew apart when we got promoted in our respective careers. I want us to be close again.” Mrs Patmore pats Mrs Hughes’ hand. Before they were at the top of their respective fields they were best friends.


	15. Moving In

Mrs Hughes walks to her sitting room to do some paperwork after she packs her things in her room. She pulls the laundry rota book out and looks over the figures one more time. She wants to be here when Charles comes down from breakfast. They always talk after breakfast and today they have more to talk about than usual. Elsie smiles when she hears Charles’ strong knock on the door. That knock has been coming at nearly the same time every day since she became housekeeper. “Come in.” Elsie calls as she stands up and smooths her skirt. For some reason she’s nervous this morning for Charles’ visit.

“I brought tea and biscuits. It’s so cold this morning I thought we could use something hot.” Charles comes in and sets the tray down kicking the door closed with his heel.

As soon as the tray is out of his hands Elsie throws herself into Charles’ arms. He catches her rather inelegantly. “I can think of something else that’s hot and it’s not the tea.” Elsie says cheekily. She presses herself into Charles’ chest.

Charles groans at the contact from Elsie. “Yes, I can think of a couple of things.” Charles leans in and kisses Elsie softly. He loves being able to kiss Elsie whenever he wants. “Shouldn’t we be packing and moving into our new room?” Charles asks when he pulls away from the kiss.

“Well, while you were upstairs serving breakfast I packed up my things and Anna carried my suitcase up to our new room. I didn’t want to see our new room without you, so here’s my suggestion, why don’t I help you pack up your things and then we can both go up and see our room together.” Elsie suggests.

“That sounds like a good idea. You don’t have to help me if you don’t want to.” Charles says gently.

“I would like to help you. There’s nothing in your room I shouldn’t see is there? You’re not keeping secrets are you?” Elsie asks teasingly.

“Of course not,” Charles says quickly. He thinks of the ring box sitting in his sock drawer. He doesn’t want Elsie to find that. He wants to be able to propose to her on his terms. He doesn’t want the pressure of knowing that Elsie knows that he wants to propose. Charles checks his watch and says, “If we want to get everything moved before we have lunch we better get moving. We don’t have much time.” Charles walks out of Elsie’s sitting room with Elsie walking behind him towards his room. Charles unlocks the door to his room and walks in. He looks around the room that he’s lived in for many years. For the amount of time he’s lived in this room it’s still terribly impersonal. He pulls his suitcases off the top of his wardrobe and opens them on his bed.

Elsie takes a moment to look around the room before she opens the wardrobe and pulls Charles’ two other pairs of shoes out of the bottom of the wardrobe. She tucks the shoes into the bottom of one of Charles’ suitcases. She’ll let Charles deal with his underclothes, pyjamas and personal effects. It’s a very homey feeling to be standing next to each other folding clothes like any regular couple. Elsie snaps a starched shirt off a hanger and she begins to fold it. She looks back into the wardrobe and sees Charles’ casual clothes which he very rarely wears. She also notices his whites he wears for the cricket tournament which she loves to see him in. Between the two of them they quickly have everything packed.

“It seems sad that everything my life has amounted to fits into three suitcases.” Charles says as he looks around the empty room.

“Oh Charles, you’re so much more than just what’s in those three suitcases. You shouldn’t be so concerned about what your life has amounted to. I think that you have done a lot of good in your life that you can’t find in those suitcases. I don’t fit in those suitcases and neither does your dedication to this family. The best parts of your life aren’t material things. Now, let’s go and see what our new room looks like.” Elsie says as she holds Charles. She then turns and picks up the smallest suitcase. She knows Charles wouldn’t have let her carry one of the larger suitcases.

“You do have the key to our new room, don’t you? We wouldn’t want to get there and be locked out.” Charles teases Elsie.

“Of course I have the key.” Elsie says as she walks out of the room. Charles pauses on the threshold to look around the room. There are so many memories in this room, but it’s time to make new memories with Elsie. Elsie puts her hand on Charles’ arm. “It’s alright. Everything will be okay. We can do anything we set our mind to.”

Charles puts his arm around Elsie’s shoulders. She knows exactly what to tell him to make him feel like he can conquer the world with her by his side.

Charles and Elsie walk slowly up to their new room. Elsie swings her keys up into her hand and searches for her new room key. She unlocks the door and then turns towards Charles. “Ready?” Elsie asks.

“Absolutely ready.” Charles says with a smile.

Elsie slowly turns the door handle and walks into the room with Charles following behind her. Elsie sets the small suitcase down and tries to take in her new surroundings. The fire is blazing and the room is warm. Elsie’s two suitcases are already sitting on the bed thanks to Anna. “The bed is huge! We could fit six people in there!” Elsie murmurs.

“Well, we could fit six people in there the way we sleep together. We sleep in the same space practically. This room is beautiful. I feel out of place. I feel like I don’t belong here.” Charles says looking around the room. He walks over to the window and looks out onto the grounds.

Elsie sits down on the side of the bed and tries to take in everything that has happened. This time yesterday she saw no hope for having their relationship be out in the open. Today everyone knows, Charles and Elsie both still have their jobs and they have been able to move into the same room.

“Elsie, are you alright?” Charles asks as he sits down next to her. “You’re not having second thoughts are you?”

“No, of course I’m not having second thoughts. This is all a little overwhelming that’s all. I’m not used to people knowing about us and I’m not used to being allowed to express my feelings towards you. It’s very surreal, that’s all.” Elsie says leaning her head on Charles’ shoulder.

“I adore you, Elsie. You are happy, aren’t you? I want you to be happy.” Charles says with a genuine smile.

“Of course I’m happy. I couldn’t imagine ever being happier. You and I are meant to be together like this and the last twelve hours have proved it.” Elsie lies back on the great big fluffy bed.

“You know I got teased by the family this morning. They wanted more information about our relationship, but I didn’t really tell them anything. I wanted you to be there when we talk to the family.” Charles says as he lies back on the bed next to Elsie and looks up at the ceiling.

“Why don’t we ask the family if they’re free after luncheon? Then we can answer any questions they have that don’t seem inappropriate to answer. They are our employers and they deserve some answers. I want them to still have faith that we can do our jobs properly under the new circumstances.” Elsie says reaching for Charles’ hand.

“That sounds like a good idea. Lady Mary and Lady Edith were teasing me all through breakfast, so I know they’ll both have lots of questions.” Charles tugs Elsie’s hand and pulls her closer to him.

“Oh perfect, that’s exactly what I want to happen. I need girls young enough to be my daughters asking about my romantic life. That could be very awkward.” Elsie says with a smile.

“I never thought that I would be talking to the family about my relationship with you without having to worry about losing our jobs. Lady Mary and Lady Edith certainly won’t hold back in their questions. They’ll want to know absolutely everything.” Charles sighs. He looks around the room for the clock and then remembers they haven’t unpacked anything.

Elsie knows what Charles is looking for and she reaches down for her keys. She has a small watch on her key ring. “We should go down to lunch.”

Charles sits up and sighs. “I’m so comfortable I don’t want to move.”

“If we don’t show up to luncheon I think everyone will notice and know why we aren’t at luncheon with all our colleagues and we’ll get hungry before dinner.” Elsie climbs off the bed and waits for Charles to join her.

“You’re right, as usual. If I had my way we’d never leave this room. Elsie, how long have we been courting?” Charles asks as he reaches for Elsie’s hand and they walk out of their room.

“Um, we’ve been courting for five years, four months, two weeks, and three days.” Elsie says thinking carefully.

“Has it really been that long? It seems like such a short time ago that I got up the courage to tell you how much I care about you. I have a question to ask you after dinner Elsie, but it’s nothing you have to worry about. I’m healthy and so are you, so don’t panic about anything between now and then, please.” Charles says gently.

“It does seem like a very short time ago and yet so much has happened between then and now.” Elsie smiles at Charles.


	16. How's the New Room?

They enter the dining room casually trying not to draw attention to themselves. They would like to carry on as if nothing has changed, but they won’t have the chance. “So, Mrs Hughes, did you go have a look at your new room?” Anna asks as they all sit down to lunch.

“Yes, we did. It’s very nice although it’s feeling very large at the moment. I suspect we’ll get used to it quite quickly.” Elsie settles into her seat next to Charles as she speaks.

“What colour is your room? I know each one in the house is different.” Anna asks curiously.

“You know I’m not actually sure. There was so much else to look at I didn’t have a chance to take in the wall colour.” Elsie says thoughtfully.

“It’s pale blue with white trim and pale blue damask print wallpaper.” Mr Carson pipes up. He noticed the room colour because he tends to notice the small details.

Elsie smirks at Charles’ description of their new room. Only someone who has been in service for an extended period of time would describe a room that way.

“I’ll ask the family if we can meet them after lunch and I’ll come and get you if they’re available.” Charles says to Elsie as he walks past her.

Elsie nods. She’s unused to being able to be so open with Charles around other people.


	17. The Family Wants to Talk to Us?

“Why do you want to talk to the family?” Mr Bates asks Mrs Hughes.

“Apparently they have some questions for Mr Carson and I, so I decided we should just get this part over with and answer the family’s questions.” Mrs Hughes says nonchalantly.

“Lady Mary is going to be insufferable, you know, especially since Mr Carson is her favourite person. She won’t like that she’s not number one in Mr Carson’s heart anymore.” Anna teases Mrs Hughes.

“She already didn’t like me. I can’t imagine what she must think of me now.” Elsie says quietly.

“Lady Mary has to realize that Mr Carson deserves to have his own life. She must know how happy you make Mr Carson. Everyone can see how much Mr Carson cares for you and that’s the most important thing. Take heart Mrs Hughes in how much Mr Carson cares for you. He’ll protect you from the family.” Mr Bates says sweetly.

“I’d like to see someone try to insinuate anything improper or inappropriate about you, Mrs Hughes. Mr Carson will be defending you no matter what.” Anna smiles at the lady who is a mother figure to the younger girls downstairs. 

Mrs Hughes blushes at Anna’s words, thought she knows the young woman is right. Charles would defend her to the ends of the earth which is the same as he would do for anyone he cares about. “Of course he’ll defend me, but I rather get the feeling that I may have to defend Charles to the family. He’s going to be put on the spot for certain. I’m not sure he’s quite prepared for what we’re going to be asked.” Elsie admits quietly.

“Are you prepared for what the family is going to ask, Mrs Hughes? If the Dowager Countess stays you can be certain that no one will hold back their questions.” Mr Bates asks seriously.

Mrs Hughes groans lowly. “I wasn’t anticipating the Dowager Countess being there. That does change things quite a bit. She makes me more nervous than anybody else.”

“Be strong, Mrs Hughes. You’ll be just fine.” Anna is being very reassuring.

Charles runs his hands over his face as he walks down to find Mrs Hughes. Elsie looks up as Charles enters the room. “They’re ready for us upstairs.” Charles says gently.

“Is the Dowager Countess staying?” Elsie asks nervously.

“Of course she’s staying. She wouldn’t miss this conversation for anything in the world. I’m sure that she has a lot to say. Don’t worry; her opinion won’t change His Lordship’s decision. She may be the matriarch of the family, but he doesn’t always listen to her.” Charles takes Elsie’s hand in his and they begin the walk upstairs.

“I love you, Charles.” Elsie squeezes Charles’ hand nervously. She wants this to go well.

“I love you too, Elsie. We’ll be fine. I have faith in you.” Charles stops for a moment, turns towards Elsie, kisses her and says, “Now, where’s that fighting spirit I love so much?”

Elsie smiles genuinely. She and Charles enter the library. She’s got her left hand clenched in her skirt. She slowly loosens the grip on her skirt and starts playing with the folds of her skirt.


	18. Answering Questions from the Family

“Carson, Mrs Hughes, please come in and sit down.” Lord Grantham encourages.

Mr Carson leads Mrs Hughes across the room and guides her to a seat on the settee. While Charles sits down normally Elsie perches on the very edge of the settee. She has her hands clasped nervously in her lap.

“Not to worry, Mrs Hughes, this isn’t the Spanish Inquisition.” Lord Grantham chuckles. He’s never seen his housekeeper so nervous.

Elsie chuckles nervously and scoots back on the settee. Charles gently reaches for her hand to hold. He doesn’t want to startle her, but she instantly pulls away.

Charles smiles nervously. This doesn’t bode well for the rest of the meeting. He gently puts his arm around Elsie’s waist, pulls her closer to him, and kisses her temple. “Stop this; we’re not in trouble, remember? Just relax.” Charles whispers.

Elsie sighs gently. She knows that Charles is right. “I’m sorry for my behaviour, milord.”

“It’s alright, Mrs Hughes. I’m sure this is a very intimidating situation.” Lord Grantham says gently. He understands how difficult this must be for these two very private people.

Charles still has his arm around Elsie’s waist and he can feel her begin to relax. “That’s much better.” Charles whispers in her ear.

“Can I ask you something, Carson?” Lord Grantham asks cautiously.

“Of course, milord.” Carson says confidently.

“Why didn’t you feel you could come to me and tell me about this earlier?” Lord Grantham asks seriously.

“We started courting before Mr Bates and Anna ever came to Downton and you accepted their relationship. We didn’t want to lose our positions here.” Charles says honestly.

“I must admit, Carson that I don’t agree with my son but I would be very sad to lose either of you. How did you think this was appropriate?” The Dowager Countess asks snappily.

“We fell in love, Your Ladyship. We didn’t think about the consequences until after. Love doesn’t consider the consequences of the feelings associated with it. I think we both suppressed our feelings for a long time before we acted on them.” Elsie says firmly.

“How long has this relationship been going on?” Lady Grantham asks gently.

Charles looks pointedly at Elsie since she knows exactly how long they’ve been together. “Five years, four months, two weeks, and three days.” Elsie whispers.

“And you haven’t proposed yet, Carson? Shame on you!” Lady Mary teases.

“Well, it’s very difficult to keep a marriage secret, Your Ladyship, and frankly I wouldn’t want to. Mrs Hughes deserves so much more than a secret marriage and a lifetime of us having to be apart. She deserves, if we choose to marry, to be able to be called by her married name. She deserves the world to be given to her. I’m just lucky that she chose me to be that person for her.” Charles says sweetly.

“Oh Carson, that is so sweet! I always knew you were a romantic at heart! Whatever you and Mrs Hughes decided to do in the future is fine by me.” Lady Grantham says with a big smile.

“Mrs Hughes, are you alright? You’ve been rather quiet which is unlike you.” Lord Grantham asks gently.

“I’m fine, Your Lordship. I was just worried about this moment.” Elsie admits.

“Mrs Hughes, do you mind if I ask you a question?” Lady Sybil asks slowly. She doesn’t want to pressure the lady too much.

“Of course you can ask me a question, Lady Sybil.” Elsie encourages the young lady.

“Who confessed their feelings first and how did Carson tell you how much he cares about you?” Lady Sybil asks curiously.

“Do you mind if I tell them the story?” Elsie asks Charles turning towards him.

“It’s up to you, dear. I don’t mind if you tell, but you decide if you want the family to know.” Charles says quietly.

Elsie thinks for a moment. “Charles confessed his feelings to me first. He told me how he felt the night he had his anxiety attack in the dining room. After I got dinner finished I went to give him the medicine Dr. Clarkson had left. He was groggy and tired when I entered his room. He had been asleep and I felt bad waking him up. I told him that he wasn’t allowed to scare me like that again. I was sitting on the side of his bed and I started to cry. I’d never done that before. Charles reached out and hugged me and told me he was sorry he had scared me because he loved me. It was really sweet.” Elsie leans towards Charles and kisses his cheek.

“I’d never seen Elsie cry in all my days of knowing her, so I knew she wasn’t kidding. I wasn’t sure what was going on with me physically, but whatever was going on with me I couldn’t stand to see her cry. When I held her in my arms it felt so natural and my feelings spilled out to her. I almost took it all back until I saw the look on her face. I was worried that I’d destroyed our friendship.” Charles adds to the story.

“I was so surprised that I couldn’t react at first. I think that my delayed reaction made things worse. I made him panic and worry even more. I could see him begin to get ready to retract his statement and I leaned forward and kissed him. He was as shocked as I was by my behaviour. When we pulled away from the kiss everything got a little awkward. We didn’t know how to start the conversation about what this was to become. We were both suddenly nervous to talk to each other. I paced the room and gave Charles his medicine before he got me to relax and come and sit next to him again.” Elsie explains.

“She was fidgety. I just wanted her to know how much I care for her, but I didn’t know how to tell her. I didn’t know how to express my emotions to her, but I knew I had to tell her. I reached for her hands and held them gently in mine and she blushed. I ran my hand across her cheek and told her simply that I love her and I have for a very long time. I told her that I wanted to court her and love her. I told her how special she is. I could only hope that she believed what I was telling her.” Charles wraps his arms around Elsie.

“I did believe him. I told him I loved him and I wanted to pursue a relationship with him. It didn’t even cross our minds that this was against the rules at that point. Charles asked me to stay the night to make sure he was going to be okay through the night. I slipped my shoes off, turned the light off, slipped beneath the covers, and curled into Charles’ arms. It was wonderful to not have to spend the night by myself. When I woke up the next morning with his arms still around me and he was feeling okay I realized I never wanted this to end between us. We still had to decide how we were going to make our relationship work, but it felt so right I never wanted that first moment in the morning to end.” Elsie blushes as she admits this.

“I’d forgotten that Elsie was sleeping next to me because it felt so natural. I felt so wonderful when I woke up that morning despite the fact I was worried about my health. I felt on top of the world. Elsie looked so beautiful that morning. I couldn’t believe I’d gotten so lucky as to have this beautiful woman in my arms. I felt like all my dreams had come true. I didn’t want to move that morning for fear that I would break the whole scene. It seemed so surreal.” Charles says gently.

“You better make sure you take very good care of Carson, Mrs Hughes. We’re all watching you now.” Lady Mary teases the couple.

“I’m curious, milady, why you didn’t give me the same warning?” Charles asks curiously.

“Because I know that you would never intentionally hurt Mrs Hughes not only because you love her, but also because she has a legendary Scottish temper that scares you. She certainly can take care of herself. She won’t let you get away with anything.” Lady Mary explains herself.

“I certainly know how true that is. I try not to have an argument with her because of her temper. If we argue we tend not to speak for a couple of days. I don’t like that so I try to avoid it. We’ve known each other for so long that we know to rile each other.” Charles says seriously. Mrs Hughes’ temper is legendary downstairs.

“Well, if anyone knows how to handle that it’s you, Carson. I wish you nothing but good luck and happiness.” Lord Grantham says honestly.

“Thank you, milord. Come on, Elsie, we better go and check on everything downstairs.” Charles says gently to Elsie.

“Thank you for your time, milord.” Elsie says politely. She and Charles walk out of the room together and Elsie breathes a sigh of relief. “I feel much better now.”


	19. They're So Sweet!

Back in the library the family are talking about the new couple downstairs. “They’re so sweet together!” Lady Grantham gushes about them.

“They really are. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Carson be that emotional about anyone except perhaps you, Mary.” Lord Grantham smiles. “He’s very lucky that she didn’t decide to leave and get married when she had the opportunity.”


End file.
